Play production of future Christmas film coming to Houma

Monday

Nov 26, 2012 at 10:45 AM

A holiday play performed by an all-star cast is coming Friday to Houma.

Kris JohnsonStaff Writer

A holiday play performed by an all-star cast is coming Friday to Houma.“The Forgotten Carols,” a traditional Christmas story with a contemporary twist, is scheduled for 7 p.m. at the Houma-Terrebonne Civic Center, 346 Civic Center Blvd.Tickets cost $20 per person at the Civic Center Box Office or ticketmaster.com. The play tells the story of Constance, a young nurse who sees the holidays as a “meaningless distraction” until she is assigned to care for an elderly man who believes he has been alive for 2000 years. He says he’s met forgotten characters from classic Christmas stories, such as the innkeeper who turned away Joseph and Mary in the biblical story of Jesus’ birth. As he chronicles his encounters with his “forgotten carol,” he reaches Constance with the spirit of the holidays she had long ago forgotten.Emmy Award-winning TV producer and host Michael Young said he decided to bring “The Forgotten Carols” to the area, citing the growing entertainment industry in the South, especially New Orleans.“The industry is changing to where Hollywood, from now on, is just going to do those blockbuster movies that cost $100 million and are going to make $200 million or $1 billion in the box office. But the rest of the country is going to do those programs that can be done affordably locally and are going to go into your community and reach the specific audience that you want them to reach,” Young said.It’s called “runaway production,” meaning production has left Los Angeles and New York and gone somewhere else.“In Los Angeles,” Young said, “the two places that are talked about the most are the New Orleans and Atlanta areas.” The play is sponsored by several local businesses and groups, including Buquet Distributing, Town and Country Real Estate, The Salon Rubicon and the Kiwanis Club of Houma. Kiwanis Club board member Rosie Vassallo was active in forging the partnership between Young and the Civic Center. For her involvement in this project and others, she was recently honored as the Kiwanian of the Year.“When I found out about the play and met the producer, I contacted the Civic Center because I thought it’d be great for Houma. I’m just so excited that we’re able to bring such wonderful productions like this here,” Vassallo said. “It’s not just another play. It’s a community booster. For example, it’s allowing young students to partner with Broadway professionals, which is a wonderful opportunity for them.” The Forgotten Carols will immediately follow a 6 p.m. Christmas concert by the Mulberry Baptist Church Choir of Houma. The Vandebilt Catholic High School Choir will be featured during the play.A few of the play’s main characters are professional actors, including Tony Blake from major TV shows such as “Lois & Clark” and “Charmed,” and Will North, who has worked on numerous stage productions and TV shows including “Westside Story,” “CATS,” “All My Children,” “As the World Turns” and “Guiding Light.”